Barge for transporting logs and the like



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W. B. FOGH BARGE FOR TRANSPORTING LOGS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 3, 1934 5Sheets-Sheet l @KMA-@f June 2, 1936. `w. B. FOGH BARGE FOR TRANSPORTINGLOGS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb, 5, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 2, 1936. W B,FOGH 2,042,932

BARGE FOR TRANSPORTING LOGS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 5, 1934 5Sheets-Sheet 3 .Fume 2, 1936. w. B. FOGH BARGE FOR TRANSPORTING LOGS ANDTHE LIKE 5 sheetssheet 4 Filed Feb. 5, 1934 s mv.

i LE .Hume 2, 1936. WQ B, FOGH 042,932

BARGE FOR TRANSPORTING LOGS AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 3, 1954 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 2, 1936 bli T ED S? PAT E'. N T O F FIC EBARGE FOR TRANSPORTING:v LOGS- AND THEv LIKE Walter'B.- Fogh, Seattle',Wash;

ApplicationV February 3, 1934, Serial No. 709,627

9" Claims. (Cl. 114-72) My'invention relates to water` transportation,concerned with the economical storage thereof and hasfa'sitsgeneralgobject tolessen the cost of pending and during local or partialdeliveries. such transportation, particularly in`lessening the Theaccompanying drawings illustrate the princiinitial and: upkeep cost offcontainers or vesselsl ples ofmy invention embodied in' various types Ywherein certain types of! cargo. is` to be transof vessels and cargoes,the drawings being more 5 ported. or less diagrammatic in character.

My invention is adaptedto thetransportation Figure l is a plan View,Figure 2.is an axial secoil various kinds ofcargo. For example, it maytion, and Figure Sis a transversesectionat one be used' onthe Paciccoast fori the transportationA end, of such a vessel, in what issubstantially thev 10 of oil, gasoline, or like products inrbulk, fromksimplest form thereof.. l0- Southern vCalifornia portslto Puget SoundYports,r Figure 4 Vis a Yplan view, and -Figure 5 is an axial and forvthetransportation'on the return journey section, illustrating theoperationlof loadingY logs of. logs and like loatable cargoA fromnPacific into such a vessel. Northwest ports to Caliiorniabports, or forVtrans- Figure 6 is a transverse sectionthrough such aportationofgasolinevfrom Texas to Maine, andV ofvessel, loaded .withliquid cargo, such as oil. l5 logs on the returnv trip. It may' be usedfor the Figure 7 is a transverse section of such a'vessel, live storageof sh-when'caug-ht', and for their illustrating: the operation ofloading logs,l andv transportation fromy the fishing-banks to ports,Fi'gureSis a similar view, illustrating the operaand many 'otheruses'will suggestithemselves as?.A tion of `dischanging such logs.

this specification progresses; Figure 9 is a transverse section throughsuch a- 20 Especially in4 connectionwith the transportavessel,illustrating the manner of its use in the tionofflogs, itis an object toprovideia device andV transportationiof live fish.

a method of handling:andtransportingthe logs;M Figure 10 iS a-flagmentayplan View 0f Such whereby what are in eie'ct log raftsv may beavessel,.illustratingrthe mechanism for loading V formedAatlminimumexpense ine'quipmentland` logs; Figures 11 and 12 aretransverse sections, 25 time, withno greater addedweight than is now andFigures 13 andi 14 are vertical longitudinal commonly usedincablesgchains; etc., and? in sections, all illustrating apparatus usedin the waters where there isipermitted aminimumdraft, loading-of logs.and whereby the llogs may-'be'readily discharged Figure 15 is aplan viewof a modied'vessel, the

withl little trouble or expense at'the point of difference residingchiefly in the manner of sup- 30 delivery, without damage duringtransportation port of the log-loading apparatus; Figure 16 is a ordischarge to the enclosing shell'. vertical longitudinal axial sectiontherethrough,

It is an object to provide a vessel which canbel and Figure 17 is atransverse section. readilyfadapted to' the transportationv of various YFigure 18 illustratesa variation in the method .kinds ofv cargo, suchasthe various cargoes menof transporting cargo with such a vessel: 35vtloned above, and others. In effect the invention makes use of a'hollow;

It is especially an objecttoprovide avessel substantially cylindricalshell of'metal, which is forsuch uses which can be cheaply constructed,substantially unbraced, internally and externally, and which, by reasonof the method of employe and which'thereforehas a large and unobstructed40 ment, is but-little subjected to the normal stresses hold. within'which can be received the cargo, 40-

of` cargoY Vessels in heavy weather, and which whereby, providedthe'weig-ht of thecargo plus'- lessens the' strain of towing. thevesselis-less than that of the waterfdisplaced, These and'other objectsof-myrinvention will be the vessel will float,` though in mostinstances, and

better understood as this specication progresses, preferably, almostsubmerged. Now if the cargo andI do not'de'em it necessary to'touch onsuch is liquid, suchas oil or gasoline, or'may beim- 45- objects morespecificallyat'this point. mersed in water, such as logs, and yet fullltheseV My invention is concerned withy the inventive conditions ofbuoyancy, the vessel will-float so -low concept of transporting vvarioustypes' of cargo thatiit'is not subject torordinary wave action, and(particularly cargo which is. liquid or can be the liquid-'within thevessel,` WhetherA it is'sealed `immersed in liquid, and which, withrsuchliquid, is from the sea, inthe caselof oil,or infree com'- 501 a's awhole of less specific gravity than thewater munication with the sea,asA in' the case of logs displaced) cheaply and conveniently, and ofloadimmersediin water, will servel'asinternal bracing, ing' and handlingthe cargo with'facility. Where whereby toi prevent collapse''o thevessel andito the storage of such cargoas oil, would require.. resistsuchaction'lof the sea asmaybeliimpressed y expensive shorefacilities,ymy;invention-is.further' uponit; However, since theve'sseboat's nearly. 55!

submerged, waves will wash over it, and will not damage the shell, forthere is little wave action or stresses beneath the surface, and thecylindrical shape is little subject to damage, and facilitates the waveswashing over the shell. This gives to the vessel the further advantagethat it does not surge with wave action, and therefore permits a moresteady towing effort to be applied to it, and, as well, lessens towingstrains on the tug tow line, and towing engine.

Such a vessel may readily be loaded with various kinds of cargo, and aspointed out above, it will be particularly useful in handling gasoline,oil and the like in large quantities, originating at California portsand discharging at Pacific Northwest ports, or at Siberian ports, and onthe return voyage may be loaded with logs for delivery at Californiaports.

Logs have been transported heretofore over long distances by buildinglarge cribs into which the logs are lifted, where they are bound bycables or chains into cigar-shaped rafts,-some of which carry manyhundreds of thousands of feet .of timber. It will be obvious, however,that the construction of such rafts in itself constitutes an item ofconsiderable expense, and when the logs are on the high seas the safetyof the entire raft is dependent upon the strength of the chains whichbind them together. If any single log breaks away, it endangers thesafety of the entire raft. The heavy cables chafe, and are not usableafter the raft is broken up, while the shell is not damaged during suchuse. According to my invention the logs may be loaded loosely into thevessel, the weight of which does not exceed the weight of cables used tobind an equivalent volume of logs into a raft. There these logs ineifect float in the water contained within the vessel, being restrainedfrom emerging, and need not be bound nor secured in anyway except by therestraint of the outer walls of the vessel, and if the vessel rolls, thelogs, will not roll, since they are not subject to wave action. Thuslarge quantities .of logs can be towed safely over long distances, andother advantages will appear hereafter with relation to the loading anddischarging of such logs. Y

Thus as is illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the vessel comprises acylindrical shell I, having a hatch opening I il at one side, of alength substantially equal to the vlength of the cylindrical shell, andof a width sufficient to take the logs. Such a shell may be 45 feet orslightly more in length and from 20 to 40 feet in diameter, andpreferably is built in multiples .of such length. This length isselected to accommodate Ll0-foot logs such as are normally transportedin rafts. For ease in towing, the shell may be provided with conicalends II and I2 separated from the main hold I3 by transverse bulkheadsI4, and to close the hatch opening I0 hatch cover means, such as thesectional cover-I5, may be secured in place, when the cargo has beenloaded into the vessel, or, if the cargo is liquid, such as oil, thecargo may be rloaded and discharged through a suitable aperture closedby the plate I6. To keep the vessel reasonably upright it may beprovided with a keel, illustrated at II, which may be suitably ballastedor within which may be placed various operating machinery, as willappear hereafter, the weight of which serves as ballast. However, aswillappear hereafter, it may be preferable to dispose the weights in suchmanner that the vessel floats when loaded, with the hatch openingdownward, whether the cargo be oil or such as logs. Rolling, however, isnot objectionable, since it eases the force of surface waves. A light 9,as required by marine regulations, may be supported in a swivel mountupon a standard 9| raised above the top of the vessel.

The conical sections II and I2 may well be braced and suitably connectedfor draft to the clylindrical shell I by means such as are indicateddiagrammatically in Figure 2, but preferably the entire space within thecylindrical shell I is free from obstructions. 'I'he shell may be formedof plates butt welded or otherwise secured together,

' and to protect the weld and to somewhat stiffen the shell, angle irons3 and 30 may be employed. These may be placed inside the shell, butpreferably are placed outside, whereby the logs may have no point ofengagement inside the shell. Further to stiffen the vessel along themargins of the long hatch opening I0 which is necessary to receive40-foot logs, there may be secured in place stiifening plates 3| and 32,forming in effect a triangular truss along each margin of the hatchopening. However, these project but slightly into the hold, and ineffect do not obstruct the in` terior thereof to any appreciable extent.Rather they serve as smooth chutes to guide the logs as they emerge, aswill `be clear hereafter.

Since it will be necessary at times to open the interior of the hold tofree communication with the water outside it, if the vessel is to oatwith the hatch .opening onV top, Iv may provide a series of sea. cocks 4disposed in the lower portion of the shell I, and arrangements may bemade to open these by a bevel gear connection or like means, asillustrated at 4U, operated'by suitable mechanism, for instance a pulley4I, disposed Within the hollow keel I'I and connected to a controlstation by suchmeans as the lines 42. This control station may well beone of the conical ends of the vessel, wherein may be located a motor 5,and

`wherein is preferably locatedalso a pump 50 for discharging water fromthe interior of the shell or for handling the oil cargo.

It is not at all essential that the vessel be formed with a single holdonly, but rather it is preferable that it be of a length equal to anumber of such holds, but the several holds are separated by bulkheads I9, which may be single or double and braced, as illustrated in Figure 5.If the individual holds were much in excess of the length of the logs,the latter would interlock and jam within the hold, but by making theindividual holds just slightly in excess of the length of the logs, thelatter all remain parallel within the hold, and do not have a chance tomove about, except as the shell rolls relatively to the logs, which aresubstantially quiescent.

If desired, the space between double bulkheads may be employed asstorage space for special liquid cargo. Thus if the vessel is haulinggasoline, it may well carry a cargo of kerosene or distillate betweenthe walls of the double bulkheads I9, and suitable arrangements will beprovided for the discharging of such cargo. Thus as seen in Figure 5, apipe 6 is provided within the hollow keel leading to the pump 5i) andthence to a discharge pipe 6I, and to this pipe 6 are connected variousbranch pipes 62, 63 and 64 leading to different holds or storage spaces.

It is desirable to, provide on the shell itself mechanism for loadinglogs. be mounted on the exterior of the shell, as in Figures 6 ,to 9 forexample, or preferably on the inner side of the hatch cover, as inFigures 15 to 18. To this end I provide spaced rails l, and be- Suchmechanism may tween them extends a chain, cable or like device,illustratedat IU, provided with dogs or like means for conveying logsalong the rails 1, or toothed wheels 'll may be provided at intervalslocated between the rails to engage the logs from beneath and to advancethem. Such advancing means may be conveniently driven by bevel gearconnections illustrated at 'l2 from a main shaft 13 supported insuitable brackets alongside the rails 1, and this mechanism mayconveniently be driven from the motor 5 by the belt or chain connectionat 5l. Logs are preferably loaded from the end of the shell, and tofacilitate this, extension rails 'lll may be provided depending into thewater and supported, if necessary, by a oat .15, in alignment with therails l. Thus the rails M and suitable power means associated therewith,as is common in the art of handling logs, constitutes a log ramp orelevator, by means of which logs can be lifted from the water and thenmovedxalong the rails l until they come opposite a hatch opening Iiiinto which it is desired to discharge them.

For discharging the logs into a selected hold I may provide a shoe 8,pivoted at 85 between the rails l, and adapted, when raised by movementof the cam lever 8l about its pivot 82, to deect a log in the mannerillustrated in Figures 10 and l2, whereby as the log comes opposite agiven hatch opening l!! it may be rolled off into this hatch opening,and thus the vessel may be loaded without the necessity of a crane orlike arrangement for bodily lifting the logs. The loading may thus beeffected at any convenient point, without W dependence on shoreinstallation. The logs are dropped into water which partly fills thehold, thu-s preventing damage to the shell. Moreover, they willnaturally find their position relative to other logs buoyed up by thewater in the shell, and stevedoring labor in stowing the logs (alwaysdangerous) will be eliminated.

Movement of the cam lever 8l is controlled in any convenient manner, thecontrol being typified by the lever 83, though it will be evident thatany suitable arrangement for this purpose may be employed.

When the vessel is being loaded with oil the oil may be dischargedthrough the opening closed by the plate I6, the various hatch covers l5being left in place, except for an opening to permit air to escape fromthe interior. The shell would be of such capacity that the weight of theoil plus the weight of the shell would be less than the weight of thewater displaced by the shell,

' and thus the shell could be loaded substantially full, and would stillfloat, though largely submerged, as seen in Figure 6. In this conditionit may be towed, a towing bridle (not shown) being attached in anysuitable manner, for instance to the end of the guard rails I8. In heavyweather the waves will wash over the shell, and will cause no damage,and any pounding or stresses to which it may be subjected will beresisted by the incompressible liquid cargo, and the shell thereforeneeds no bracing inside.

The oil having been discharged, immediately or from time to time, at thepoint of destination, the hatch covers I5 may be removed, and the vesselmay then be partly lled with water, so that it floats, largelysubmerged, after the fashion shown in Figures 4, 5, and 7. In thiscondition logs may be loaded in the manner heretofore described, and theonly precaution necessary is to provide guy lines 11 extending laterallyto anchors or other fixed points, whereby the shell will not roll thehatch opening under water. Logs are loaded in until they substantiallyfill the hold,.those above pressing down those first loaded until mostof the logs are submerged in the Water Within the shell. The hatchcovers may then be replaced to restrain the logs from emerging,whereupon the sea cocks 4 may be opened to place the interior of theshell in free communication with the water outside, but by reason of thebuoyancy of the logs within, the shell cannot sink. It may roll as muchas necessary, though because it is largely submerged the tendency torolling will not be pronounced, and inthis way the logs may betransported over long distances, and the loading requires no specialequipment and but a slight amount of time as compared to the building ofsea-going rafts. Upon reaching the point of discharge for the logs thesea cocks may be closed, the water partly or wholly removed from thehold in order to relieve pressure from within against the hatch covers,and after the hatch covers are removed additional water will be admittedto the hold to float the logs out, whereupon they will emerge by reasonof the pressure of logs from below, in the manner illustrated in Figure8, and this again requires no special equipment. The last few logs canbe removed by rolling an edge of the hatch opening under water,whereupon the logs will float out. The conical ends, or these ends plusthe space between the double bulkheads, will provide suicient buoyanceat such times to prevent sinking of the shell. If preferred, the logsmay be retained in the shell, and removed as needed, thus conservingbooming space, which may be limited.

'I'he vessel maybe used for transporting live fish from the fishingbanks to market, and such a use is illustrated in Figure 9. It may servealso for the live storage of fish, either at the fishing banks or at amarket. It will be necessary, of Course, to maintain a certain amount ofbuoyancy in the vessel, so that it should not be completely filled withwater, but the hatch covers may be closed down tightly, retaining an airspace for buoyancy above the level of water within the shell, and thefish may be supplied with fresh Water through the pumping systemillustrated, stale water being taken out through the line 55 anddischarged overboard by the line 56, and fresh water being taken in fromthe line 51. This eliminates any necessity for aerating the water withinthe shell, and in this manner live flsh may be kept for considerableperiods and transported over long distances, and will arrive at themarket alive and fresh. The space between double bulkheads may serve asstorage tanks for fuel oil or gasoline for the fishing vessels, or oneor more of the holds may be so employed, until it is needed for fish.

Since oil tends to rise to the surface of water, as do logs, it ispreferable to invert the vessel, as illustrated in Figure 18, afterloading. The hatch covers then need not be tight, for if water entersthe vessel it merely causes the oil to float above it. Being restrainedby the continuous shell above, the oil cannot escape, and the vessel isso little subject to rolling that no oil escapes. Such a vessel, loadedwith oil, struck an obstruction which tore out the bottom over an areaof about ten square feet, yet but little oil was lost, and that largelyduring unloading, though it had to be towed in that condition a distanceof about fteen miles.

The log loading equipment may be mounted on the inside of the hatchcovers I5, as shown in Figures 15 to 18, inclusive. The latter arehinged at 18 to the shell, and if they are formed in sections, the lograils 'l may also be formed in sections. If a cable or chain 'Ill isused, it may, in such cases, be rigged over the pulleys or sprocketwheels I9 whenever the equipment is to be used, being stored in the endcompartments, or elsewhere, when not in use. By throwing back the hatchcovers, 4resting stanchions 89 in sup- -ports 88, the log loadingequipment is quickly made ready for use, the vessel being stayed inloading position against rolling by stay lilies TI. When the vessel isloaded the hatch covers are thrown down into place to restrain the logs,and the stay lines are released, whereupon the vessel inverts itself,and, if the hatch covers are not water-tight, completes the filling withwater. It is then ready for towing. Analogous procedure may be employedwith an oil cargo. The log loading equipment may, in such cases, serveas ballast, or if additional ballast is required it may be containedbetween the plates 3| and 32 and the she-ll. To reinvert the shell it isonly necessary to secure lines across the top to a distant side, and topull on them, securing the stay lines 11 as the vessel rolls, in orderto prevent its rolling too far. The unloading then proceeds asheretofore described.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A log raft comprising a plurality of nonconnected buoyant logs, anon-buoyant container completely surrounding the logs, and meansaffording free communication for water between the'inside and outside ofsaid container.

2. The method of transporting logs which comprises lling a non-buoyantcontainer partially full of water, discharging logs thereinto through anopening in its upper portion, the water cushioning the fall of the logsto prevent impactl thereagainst the container, closing the containeropening, placing the interior of the container in communication with thewater outside the container, moving the container to its destination,cutting olf communication between the outside and the inside of thecontainer, pumping out sufficient water to relieve pressure of the logsagainst the opening closure, removing the closure means from theopening, and admitting water to the container to lift the upper logsthrough the opening by reason of the buoyancy of the lower logs.

3. The method of transporting floatable cargo which consists indischarging it within a substantially non-buoyant container, invertingsuch container, whereby any water Within the conltainer tends to floatthe cargo upward against the now upper portion of the container, andmoving said container, thus filled, to the point-of delivery.

4. A vessel comprising a container `having a hatch opening extendinglengthwise thereof, 5 hatch cover means including a plurality of coversections of a length a fraction of the length of said hatch opening,means to support each section at one side of the hatch opening, andmeans on each cover section cooperating with other such means onadjacent cover sections to load logs and to effect discharge thereofthrough `the hatch opening.

5. A vessel comprising a container having a hatch opening extendinglengthwise thereof, a 15 plurality of hatch cover sections of a length afraction of the length of said hatch opening, hingedly mounted along oneside of said opening to swing into sealing registry therewith and toswing into open position to form a substantially horizontal platformalong one side of said opening, and spaced rails on each cover sectionextending parallel to the hatch opening, the rails on adjacent coversections cooperating, when the sections are in open position, to guidelogs for .movement lengthwise of the hatch opening.

'prises discharging logs into such a container, im-

pounding the logs therein, and sustaining the non-buoyant container withits upper side awash 40 solely by the buoyancy of the impounded logs byestablishing free communication for water between the inside and outsideof the container.

8. A log-transporting craft comprising a nonbuoyant, substantiallyunbraced shell, and com- 45 bined sustaining and strain-eliminatingmeans for said craft consisting of a mixture of logs and watersubstantially lling said shell, to equalize the internal and externalpressures and to sustain the craft with its upper side awash.

9. A log-transporting craft comprising a nonbuoyant shell, meansestablishing free commu- Vnication for water between the inside andoutside WALTER B. FOGH. 60

